Sealing device.



0. B. FOX.

SEALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED muflz, 1913.

1,065,934. Patented July 1, 1913.

WITNESSES. Y l/VVE/VT 6%), q ,fmm

ATTORNEYS,

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHING'.QN. u. c.

CHARLES E. FOX, or HOUSTON HEIGHTS, TnXAs.

SEALING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 12, 1913.

Patented July 1,1913. Serial No. 753,662.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. Fox, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston Heights, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sealing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in sealing devices, and has more particular relation to such devices as are adapted to be used for sealing car doors.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which may be readily applied without the use of a sealing or other instrument and which when locked in position cannot be removed from the car without breaking the same and thus revealing the fact that the car has been broken open.

A further feature of the invention resides in the simplicity of construction and application, thereby providing a device of this character, which may be cheaply and easily constructed and readily applied.

lVith the above and other objects in view, the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view of the device. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view thereof, taken on the line aa of Fig. 1 and showing the device in its locked position. Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line a-a of- Fig. 1, showing the device in its unlocked position before it is applied to the car door. Fig. 5 shows a sectional side elevation, taken on the line bb of Fig. 2, showing the device in its locked position. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional side view taken on the line .7)-b of Fig. 2, showing the device in its unlocked position. Fig. 7 is a sectional end view taken on the line.

0-0 of Fig. 1, showing the locking mechanism in its locked position, and-Fig. 8 is a sectional end view taken on the line co of Fig. 1, showing the locking mechanism in its unlocked position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each of the figures,

the numeral 1 refers the ordinary freight car and the numeral 2 designates a sliding door, said facing and door having, respectively, the staples 3 and with alined orifices through which the securing pin 5 passes. One end of this pin carries a head and the other end has the transverse slot 6.

The numeral 7 (:lesignates a metallic box "or casing, which in cross section,'should preferably be made oval, as shown in Fig. 8, and has closed ends, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6.

A metallic plate or vid'ed which is bent or folded into the form shown in Figs. 7 and 8, so as to have four radiating wings, 8, 9, l0 and 11, when viewed toward the end, the folds of said wings being a slight distance apart so as to form narrow slits or passageways, the slits be tween the folds S and 9 and likewise the slits between the folds 10 and 11 being continuoils and extending at right angles to each other.

The numeral 12 designates a strip of flexible material, one end of which projects down some distance in the slit formed by the wings 10 and 11 and has hooks 13 which project through orifices provided in the walls of said wings. The other end of said strip 12 is free until it is locked in posit-ion as will hereinafter be described and some distance from the extremity thereof is provided with an oblong slot 14. A latch 15 has been provided which is formed of a flat piece of material which is pivoted at its lower end'between the free edges of the plate forming the wing 9. This latch has a projecting shoulder 16 at its lower end and sheet has been prowhich extends out across the slit formed by the wings 10 and 11 and its upper end has a catch 17. V

A link 18, open at one end, has been provided. This link is substantially a U- shaped member, one of its free ends having ail-inwardly extending hook 19. The lower closed end of the link passes through the wing 9 and the lower end ofthe latch 5 and forms a pivot on which said latch operates and the inner end of the hook 19 normally projects through an orifice 20 in one side of the wing 9 and rests against the upper end of the latch 15 when the device is in its unlocked position.

One end of the casing 7 is provided wlth to the door facing ofa slit 21 through which the ends of the strip 12 may pass, said slit 21 being alined with the slit formed by the wings 10 and 11.

When it is desired to seal a car door with this device the free end of the strip 12 is passed through the slot 6 in the pin 5 and said free end is then passed down through the slit 21 and forced on down through the slit formed by the wings 10 and 11 until it comes in contact with the shoulder 16.

.A further downward pressure causes the latch 15 to swing on its pivot and carries the catch 17 toward the strip 12 and the slot 14 is so projected that said catch 17 will pass therethrough and on through a slot 22 in the other end of said strip 12 which is projected so as to aline with the slot 14: and permit the catch 17 to pass on through both of said slots, as shown in Fig. 5. The ends of the strip 12 are thus locked within the casing 7. When in this position the upper end of the latch 15 has been carried past the free end of the hook 19 and said hook drops in behind the upper end of said latch and locks the same against disengagement from the slots 1st and 22 and the device thus held firmly locked in position and can only be removed by being broken off and when once broken off, cannot be reused or replaced, so that in case a car is broken open or burglarized, this form of seal will readily reveal that fact.

It is obvious that the mechanical construction of this device may be varied without departing from the principle of this invention and I hereby reserve the right to make such mechanical changes therein as will not depart from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A device of the character described, consisting of a casing having a slit in one end thereof, a latch pivoted in the casing and having a projecting catch, a flexible strip, one end of which is fixed in the casing and the other end of which is free, the ends of said strip being provided with slots, and the free end thereof adapted to be projected through the slit in the end of said casing and said slots brought into alinement, a shoulder carried by the latch against which the free end of said strip contacts when projected through said slit, whereby the latch is moved on its pivotal support and the catch thereof projected through said alined slots, a link open at one end, upon which said latch is pivoted and means carried by the open end of the link which engages behind the free end of the latch when in its locked position.

2. A device of the character described, consisting of a casing, having a slit in one end thereof, a latch pivoted in the casing and having a projecting catch at one end thereof, a shoulder carried by the other end of said trigger, a flexible metallic strip, one end of which is fixed in the casing, said strip projecting out through said slit and having its other end free, the respective ends of said strip having slots, the said shoulder of the latch being alined with the slitin the end of the casing, so that when the free end of said strip" is projected through said slit it will contact with said shoulder and trip said latch and force the catch thereof through the slot in said trip ends when they are moved into alinement, and a link open at one end, upon which said latch is pivoted and one of its free ends having an inwardly extending hook which engages behind the upper end of said latch for locking the catch in said slots.

3. A device of the character described, consisting of a casing having a slit in one wall thereof, a latch arranged in the casing, a flexible strip, one end of which is fixed in the casing, said strip projecting out through said slit and the respective ends thereof being provided with slots arranged to be brought into alinement, a catch carried by the latch, the latch being so arranged, that when the free end of the strip is projected through said slit the said slots 7 Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing, the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. 

